Creidi and Jace returned to camp just in time for dinner. Everyone was talking about the obstacle course. From what they could tell the course had been a little different for each cabin. The trainers were just finishing their hamburgers and fries when Jeff and Phillip showed up carrying a clipboard and a bumpy bag.

"Now I know you’re all anxious to know how you did in the obstacle course," Jeff began, "But since there is no prize, we see no need to make an announcement. How ever if you just Have To know you may see us afterwards. Now it is time for your next test." He pulled a pokeball from the bag. "In each of these balls is a pidgey. The pidgeys are trained to act as if they have an aliment. You have 5 min to ‘cure’ your pidgey. You get more points for faster work. Each pidgey ‘suffers’ from a different condition, so there is no use trying to cheat. The pidgeys will let us know when you have finished. Everyone who cures their pidgey will receive a prize. Are there any questions?" No one moved. While Jeff had been talking Phillip had been passing out pokeballs. Everyone sat ready. "On my mark. Ready, set, GO!"

The room flashed red as everyone released their pidgey. Creidi’s bird instantly went into convolutions and Jace’s was hobbling about the table dragging its wing.

Creidi fished a handful of random berries from her bag. She knew her pidgey was ‘poisoned’ but she didn’t know which berry would cure it. Jace on the other hand was untying the silver bow in her hair and was trying to tie it around the pidgey’s body, pinning the wing into position. The bird however, wasn’t cooperating; it kept slipping out of the bow as she tried to tie it. Creidi took a chance and put a yellow berry into her pidgey’s mouth. The pidgey continued it’s seizures. Next Creidi tried a purple berry, this time it worked. At the same moment Jace finally succeeded in tying her pidgey. Both pidgey twittered happily, stopping the clock for Jace and Creidi.

Other trainers had also succeed, some were almost done, some were having trouble, and still others looked completely lost.

The five minutes passed quickly and soon Jeff called "Time!" Jeff and Phillip moved from table to table checking work and handing out prizes. Jace and Creidi each received a box and, after Jace retrieved her bow, headed for their cabin.

Once inside they opened their prizes. Jace had received a firestone and Creidi a vile of Mystic Water. Both were rather disappointed. Creidi had no water pokemon at all and Jace had no fire pokemon that could use the stone. They looked at each other, then slowly they smiled.

"Want to trade?" they asked at the same time. Then they laughed and made the exchange.

Creidi released Growlithe and touched the stone to its nose. Almost instantly Growlithe began to glow. Its body grew 5 fold, its tail got bushier, the tuft of hair on his head grew into a mane, and thick grew around its ankles. The glow faded leaving an Arcanine in place of the growlithe.

Jace released Aquatro on to her bed. The sea blue bird had grown to the size of a small pidgeot. Jace gently tilted back its head and poured the water down its throat. Aquatro glowed so brightly that both girls and the Arcanine had to shut their eyes. When the glow faded Aquatro was unchanged but they knew it was stronger.

The next morning, at breakfast, Creidi and Jace were discussing what the next task could be.

"What do you think?" Creidi asked.

"Well let’s see. They tested our catching skills by asking how many pokemon we had; our battling skills with the tournament; our use of pokemon to get past obstacles with the Obstacle Course; our ability to hatch and raise pokemon with the eggs; and…"

"And our ability to care for injuries in the field with the pidgeys. So what?"

"So…" Jace paused to think, "What else could we need to know to be successful pokemon trainers?"

"Umm…Getting around?"

"Close, but not quite." Creidi and Jace both jumped. Phillip had appeared next to their table. All the other trainers were silently staring; apparently Jace and Creidi had not noticed the councilor arrival and had continued their conversation for all to hear.

"Now Miss. Creidi is very close to the correct answer." Phillip began, "The next task will take place tomorrow. Your objective will be to take your pokemon to a pokecenter. Now before you blow this task off, it will be more difficult then you think. You will start off in a race like fashion from the starting point. The track will split into three separate paths; you may take anyone like. But here’s the rub; each path is different and contains hazards. And each had a certain checkpoints that must be past. You may only use one pokemon, so chose carefully. There are other conditions, but you will be informed of these tomorrow." He left without another word. The trainers finished breakfast in silent, each thinking of what pokemon would serve their purpose.

Jace and Creidi finished and quickly moved off into the woods to train.

"I’m going to train with Articolt." Creidi said, "Increasing his speed and endurance. Maybe even get him to evolve into an Articorn. What about you?" Jace didn’t answer right away.

"I think…" She said slowly, "I’ll train Pidgeotto into a Pidgeot. That would probably be my best chance."

"Sounds good to me. There is a large clearing a ways in, we can use that." The girls found the clearing after ten or so minutes. It was about the size of a football field and covered in short green grass.

The girls released their Pidgeotto and Articolt and began to train. They started with laps around the field, then progressed to racing each other; finally late in the day they pitted their pokemon against wild pokemon for experience. In the end Pidgeotto became a Pidgeot, but Articolt did not get enough experience to evolve.

All the trainers ate a hurried breakfast the next morning in their excitement. As soon as they were done they followed Jeff and Phillip out to the arena; which had again been changed to accommodate the event.

"Now to prevent cheating we will be holding all the pokemon that you will not be using here in the main lodge." Jeff announced as Phillip took up the trainers extra balls and handed out numbered pokeball. Creidi and Jace clipped theirs to their belts. "The split is a mile out. Now on to the conditions. First all three tracks are the same and have the same obstacles just in different orders. Next, As was said yesterday you may use any pokemon you would like, but if you are using a pokemon that go underground or fly you must be at eye level with the judges that will be between obstacles. Finally, some of the obstacles you will encounter are caves. You may not go over or under; every trainer must go through or you will be disqualified. Are there any questions?" No one said any thing. "Good. You may release your pokemon and line up. You must be on the ground, not in the air or underground. Go on my whistle."

Jace and Creidi chose spots on the far left of the line. They scoped out the competition as they waited for every one to get ready. The pokemon were as diverse as their trainers. Creidi was the only one with a horse pokemon and Jace the only one with a Pidgeot, but there was a Dodrio and a couple of Doduos on the line.

"On your Mark, Get Set, Wherrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!" They were off. Creidi, Jace, and the speed birds took a quick lead. The three way split was fast approaching. Jace and Creidi took the left track, and the speed birds went up the middle.

"I think we should stick together and have the real race at the end in the final stretch." Jace called down to Creidi.

"Ok. Look here comes the first obstacle." In front of them was the mouth of a cave. Creidi entered first. Jace and her pidgeot were flying low close behind. The inside of the cave was dark as night.

"I can’t see very far a head," Creidi called over her shoulder, "Let’s slow down." They slowed their pace as they moved deeper. They quickly found that the cave was entirely uninteresting. The cave extended for about a mile, they could hear other trainers entering the cave behind them. Finally after about 15 minutes they saw the light coming from the exit. Jace had just called for them to pick up the when it happened. A large Onix materialized out of the wall. It roared and snapped at Jace on her bird.

"Articolt Ice Beam!" A bright white beam of light shot from the horn on Articolt’s head. The Onix reeled back long enough to let the girls pass. The rock snake roared after them but did not give chase. The girls picked up to top speed to make up lost time.

In front of them a span of water appeared. It covered the entire path and looked fairly deep, but it wasn’t very wide. The water gave Jace no trouble, she simple flow over it and Creidi merely jumped it.

On the other side one of the judges was holding a sign that read ‘3 Miles to Next Obstacle’. Creidi and Jace decided to keep up their pace and raced neck and neck. The next obstacle came on them faster then they would have liked. It was another cave.

They slowed as they entered. This cave was as black as pitch from the moment they were in.

"What do you make of this?" Creidi called over the defining silence.

"I’m not sure. But don’t let your guard down." Jace replied. The girls moved carefully through the cave. There were about 1/3 of the way through when a voice whispered in Creidi’s ear.

"Did you hear that?" Creidi asked.

"Yeah, I did." Jace confirmed, "Some thing in this cave is trying to turn us against each other."

"Like some thing…Dark."

"Like dark pokemon. Let’s get out of here." They pick up the pace and soon passed out of the cave. As they passed the exit they saw an Umbreon sitting, eyes closed, with its golden rings aglow.

The girls raced on to the next obstacle. It turned out to be a deep ravine that was easily jumped. But it was the next obstacle was not so simple.

Again a cave loomed out of the distance, but this one was different. This cave was made of Ice. Creidi went straight in without a second thought, her ice horse wasn’t going to have any problems with this one.

"Creidi wait!" Jace called to her. Creidi stopped and turned to see Jace and her Pidgeot hovering out side the cave.

"What’s wrong?"

"Pidgeot can’t go in there, she’d freeze."

"So, recall her and we’ll ride double."

"But the rules said…" Jace began to protest.

"The rules said that we could each use one pokemon. They didn’t say we couldn’t share." Creidi replied. Jace nodded, dismounted, and recalled pidgeot. With a hand up from Creidi they were off. The inside of the cave shone and reflected sun light in all directions. Despite this it was freezing inside. Articolt was as happy as a pidgey in a tree. Even though he was carrying double weight he ran faster then he had in some time. They shot out of the ice cave like a bullet. With out taking the time to stop, Jace released Pidgeot and jumped from horse to bird.

"How much farther?" Creidi asked.

"Probably not much. Here comes the next obstacle. I think you should got on with me this time." Creidi looked forward to see a 100-foot wall of fire. In a move as smooth as Jace’s she leapt from Articolt’s back on to the pidgeot and recalled the ice horse. The bird soared up ward with the girls in tow. The 100-ft was easily cleared. The bird made a smooth arc and descended to ground level.

"There’s the center." Creidi said as she unloaded. "I’ll race ya!" The two girls unclipped the special balls from their belts and put on all the speed they had. The target, a large basket leading into a tube only one pokeball in diameter, came into view. The bird and beast ran nose to beak. Articolt’s harder the diamond hooves pounded the ground and Pidgeto’s wings cut the air to ribbons. Still they ran faster. The wind cut into the girl’s eyes. Still they ran faster. The wind screamed past their ears. And still they went faster. They passed the basket and dropped their pokeballs and ran past it. The two girls reined in their pokemon and came to a stop 30 or 40 yards past the basket and looked back. The two balls were sitting in the tube. Creidi’s was on bottom.

"Good race." Jace said.

"It should have been a tie. I was just closer to the ground." Creidi replied with a smile. Their pokemon were both breathing hard. A pink haired nurse came from the center and began to herd trainer and pokemon alike into the center.

Over the next two hours a few other trainers filtered in. About that time Phillip turned up to talk to them.

"Ok, all the trainers are either here or back at camp. So, let’s get back to camp for the results."